


Centaurs of Nome

by Naferty



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Balto AU, Centaurs, M/M, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, alternate universe - centaurs, with centaurs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:26:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26685109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Naferty/pseuds/Naferty
Summary: “Mister Steve!” Peter called behind him, pointing at one direction.Tony turned and sure enough there was Steve, making his way towards them. Hat in his hand. It was undamaged and even clean. Tony watched him warily as he got closer. When Steve handed the hat over to his boy with a smile did Tony finally relax.“Thank you,” Peter put the hat on, thankful to have it back. “What a crazy thing to do, Mister Steve. All to show off to a pretty boy,” he said in a plotting tone, or as plotting as a six-year-old could sound.Caught a little off guard, Tony looked to his boy and then back to Steve. He wasn’t prepared for that comment and he certainly wasn’t prepared when Steve didn’t deny it either. The wild centaur smiled at him.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 6
Kudos: 87





	Centaurs of Nome

**Author's Note:**

> I thought it fitting for this one to have it's own. I certainly want to write more for it. I have ideas. Lots of ideas!

The festivities were grand and the spirits were high on this beautiful day. The laughs and smiles were contagious and even Tony couldn’t resist joining in. While the town was small the festival was impressive. Many tourists came from all over to take part in the fun. The many centaur-themed activities present and the town’s high centaur population was enough to warrant a weekend stay and then more, bringing in much-needed revenue to the town. The main events, the races themselves, were really the entire reason the town was able to hold the fairly sized festival in the first place. Twenty-five years running now. 

The yearly racing event of the little old town Tony called home always got everyone ecstatic, including the town’s own centaur and even faun population that helped host a majority of all activities. Tony being included on that list. He had taken part in the Hunt Race, or really it was better known as the jumping race, on the first day of the festival. The ‘opening ceremony’ if one would. He won with little problem and kept his crown as champion for another year. 

His biggest fan, little six-year-old Peter Parker, had cheered for him the entire time. With a fan base like that, how could Tony ever lose? The very word was not on his vocabulary. 

Now on the second day, the Quarter Race was on. Much like a regular horse race, the centaurs were running to a finish line. The difference? Centaurs didn’t need riders and they certainly had no need of a marked track. No, instead the town had a pathway that had been created years ago that cut through the forest surrounding their town and ran down the main road of the town itself. It started at the festival, went through the main road, entered the forest, returned back down the same main road and finished where they had started at the festival. To and from. 

It was considered the biggest of the races, but not one Tony had any interest in. 

Tony’s fifteen minutes of fame came and went. Now, he was a tourist like every other able body walking around. He walked with his carer and his carer’s family. Ben was a good carer. Perhaps the best, but that could be Tony’s bias speaking. He couldn’t be blamed for it. May, Ben’s mate, was a beautiful woman, for having two legs and kind hearted to a fault. The pair’s ward, Peter, was downright the cutest little human child Tony had ever seen and had the pleasure of watching grow. No, that wasn’t his bias speaking. It was the truth. 

His tiny human boy was unchallenged and Tony was willing to die on this hill. 

At the moment he walked alongside his tiny family through a sea of two legs and four. Peter sat comfortably on his back while Ben kept a hand on him to prevent the child from falling off. Tony was careful to not jerk the child around but the extra help from Ben was always welcomed. The last thing he wanted was to hurt his boy. 

They were heading towards the Smithy. The lovingly named building that crafted and sold everything related to racing. They had items and equipment that ranged from harnesses to carts to hats and boots. There was a present waiting for Peter there. Something his boy had been talking about non-stop for the past few weeks. Something that Ben and May had mentioned to Tony beforehand. With Tony’s blessing, they had gone ahead and ordered the present weeks prior. Long before the festival had officially started.

Ben quickly went inside when they reached the building, leaving Tony and May to distract Peter and keep the secret a little longer. Peter had no idea and he was going to be in for a big surprise. 

“Are you having fun, Pete?” May asked the child sitting on Tony’s back. His height made it easier for May and Peter to be at eye level and for them both to see the large smile on Peter’s face.

“I am! Will we see the race today?” Peter started jumping in place. Certainly an uncomfortable movement on Tony’s back but not painful. 

“Of course we will, but behave. Don’t hurt Tony,” May shook her head.

Tony smiled. He’d love nothing more than to say he didn’t mind but the language barrier and difference in vocal cords between them made it impossible. So he was left to simply listen and hope his face expressed what he meant. 

Ultimately it did. “Don’t say it’s okay. We both know this would hurt anyone’s back,” May waggled a finger playfully. “Behave,” she repeated to Peter and like the good little boy he was Peter listened. 

“I’m sorry, Mister Tony,” the large eyes his boy gave him would make even the most hardened wild centaur crumble. 

Tony nodded and made sure his face showed no signs of anger. He honestly didn’t mind. Peter wasn’t a heavy child. In fact, he was lighter than most. 

Been peeked his head out. That was their signal.

“Okay, Pete. Time to get down,” May said and held up her arms, meaning to help Peter down. 

Peter pouted. “Why?”

“We got something for you. You need to get down so you can get it. Come on. Down you go.” 

Peter goes down with a grumble. Tony knew his boy loved the height and usually fought tooth and nail to stay but Tony figured the present will more than make up for it. He was excited for the child. 

Once on the ground May asked him to close his eyes. The prospect of a present finally settled in and excitement soon took over. Peter closed his eyes, going so far as to use his own hands to stop himself from peeking. 

When they were sure he wasn’t looking, Ben and the shop crafter wheeled out the present. Said present was a carriage. A simple one and small in size. A seat perfectly sized for Peter was on the front. It even had a belt to secure him. On the back was a large seat that could easily fit two adults if they sat close together. No doubt where Ben and May were meant to go to keep watch on Peter. 

This was the special order Ben and May had requested. It was catered to Peter and only Peter for you see, his boy had taken an interest in carriage driving after watching it on television. Something about the sport caught his boy’s little eyes. The child couldn’t stop talking about it after. 

Ben and May had talked to Tony about it. The two owned a plot of land but had no animals to call it home. Tony was really the only resident of the place. It fell down on him to make Peter's little dream come true. He was the one who was going to pull the carriage, after all, but his two carers would never force Tony to do so. If Tony was going to pull, it would be all by his own free will. 

For his boy, how could he ever say no? 

So here they were. The carriage was customized to allow Peter to reach the reins properly. Of course, the reins were really superficial since Tony would be in charge in all manner of speaking, but it gave Peter the official feeling he wanted. 

Sitting on Peter’s little seat was the harness meant for Tony. The basic breast collar, the girth and the reins themselves. Colored in the most beautiful mahogany that was going to complement Tony’s black coat that Tony’s own champion money paid for handsomely. The best for himself and for his boy. 

“Okay, open your eyes,” May said when the carriage was set perfectly for view. 

When Peter opened his eyes and saw the carriage he jumped in joy. He laughed and pointed at the craft. Excited beyond a doubt. “A carriage!” He ran to it. The wheel of the thing was nearly his same height. 

“It’s all yours, Petey,” Ben informed him and earned himself a shriek of delight. 

“ _Thank_ _you_ , thank you!” Peter hugged both Ben and May, thanked them seven more times, gave Tony’s front left leg a tight hug and determinedly tried to climb the carriage to reach his seat. 

“I don’t know, Honey, you think he likes it?” May said with a smile. 

“I think he’ll learn to love it,” Ben laughed as Peter nearly made it to his seat. “Hang on there, Sport. Let me help.” 

“Hurry, Uncle Ben!” 

“I’m hurrying. Keep your hat on.” 

A hat plopped on Peter’s head. A stylish little brown cowboy hat. It made Peter shriek even louder. 

“A real cowboy’s hat!” 

An excited child was not one to be reckoned with so Ben and May worked quickly to set up the harness on Tony and get it connected to the carriage. Tony stood still as they whirlwind around him. Peter impatiently waited on his seat. His little legs were kicking wildly as he watched his aunt and uncle. 

Peter grabbed for the reins when it was all set and ready. Like on the television, he began to crack them, saying words ranging from ‘mush’ to ‘giddy-up.’ All in vain to get Tony moving. He didn’t budge until Ben gave him the go-ahead. 

The two adults double-checked everything. When they were satisfied they eventually gave Tony the green light. “Go on, but be careful, okay?” They were opting to stay behind and let Peter go on his own for his first try. No doubt staying close still. They were showing a lot of trust in this decision. 

Tony nodded and trotted off when he heard a “he-yaw!” from Peter. Paying close attention to the angles Peter moved his reigns, he was led back through the crowd and towards the area the finishing line for today’s race was located. He moved at a slow pace and was occasionally surprised when Peter pulled to slow him down further or even come to a complete stop when families, humans and centaurs, got in their way. A responsible racer in the making. 

When the crowd began to grow smaller in size, Tony knew they were nearing the finish line. All the wandering bodies were gathered near the barriers, hoping to see the racing centaurs. Which meant Tony had room to breathe momentarily. 

It also meant two very close friends of his spotted and caught up with him. 

“Mister Tony, please slow down,” Peter said as Rhodey and Jan trotted alongside him. Tony did so and looked back to make sure Peter was still safe and buckled in his seat. When he was confident Peter wouldn’t disappear he greeted his two good friends. 

“Good morning,” on Jan’s neck Tony noted was the winning ribbon of the year. “Congratulations Jan. Did you have any competition this time?” 

“Not even close,” she flicked her hand, offended. “With Pepper not competing I’m going up against foals. Honestly, it’s not even worth trying anymore. Why did she leave me!” 

“Because helping with the festival is a little more important than a show,” Rhodey said. “She’s a busy mare now.”

“I haven’t even seen her yet,” which was true. Tony hadn’t seen a hoof or mane of her. Her family taking up responsibility for the planning of the festivities meant Pepper was now offering input on how to make it productive and safe for the volunteering centaurs. 

“She’s around. Probably scaring half of the committee for their incompetence, but she’s there.” Rhodey eyed the carriage he was pulling while waving at Peter when Peter waved at him. “You went ahead with it then. How’s carriage life?” 

“Not bad so far,” Tony stopped in order to avoid bumping into a random centaur that crossed their path. One quick look back to check on Peter and he continued forward. “Peter really knows what he’s doing. He’s been watching the races on screen nonstop.” 

“A future champion for sure. He’ll be competing against elites in no time,” Jan pressed against him to avoid colliding with a human woman. She _tsked_ when the woman passed. “Tourists.” 

“Be nice.” 

“Only when they’re nice back.”

“Are you heading for the race?” Rhodey said. 

“Yeah, Peter wants to see the winner.” 

Jan smirked. “Do you think Ty will stop by to say hi? I’m sure he’ll notice you.” 

Tony internally groaned. Ty was the last centaur he wanted to think about. “The only way Ty will notice anyone is if they’re wearing a mirror.” 

“And if they’re also wearing the gold champion bandana,” Jan adjusted the red, plain bandana he currently had on. 

“Exactly.” Which was why he didn’t have it on. “What about you two?”

They shook their heads. “I’m heading over to prepare for the heavyweight. I have to make sure the new blood don’t think I’ll go easy on them.”

“They would never.” 

“I’m heading over to the tents.” The area where the emergency kits and workers were located. “Hopefully Hank will notice my new ribbon.” 

Tony rolled his eyes. “Unless you’re under a microscope, you’ll have better luck getting Ty’s attention.” 

“Honey, that’s _your_ centaur.” With a smile, she headed off. “Good luck!” 

“See you, Tones. Catch up after?” 

“Sure, see you tonight.” Tony watched as both his friends disappeared, leaving him alone to pull the carriage closer to the race. 

Eventually, the barriers made themselves known. The hundreds of gathered bodies made it pretty obvious, but the wires that marked and separated the spectators and the racers were impossible to see. The moment Tony spotted even the smallest glimpse of the wire he made his move, rushing forward to grab the spot for himself and Peter. 

The crowd cheered loudly. A sign the racing centaurs would soon appear. Tony reached to grab Peter and sat him carefully on his back to get a better view of the race. They waited for the winner and Peter cheered excitedly for his favorite centaur runner. Whoever that may be. Every year was always a different one. 

Peter removed his hat and waved it around, trying to mimic the cowboys of the television and their dramatic antics. It was at that moment a strong gust blew through and took the hat right out of Peter’s hand. Both centaur and child watched helplessly as it landed right in the middle of the track. 

“My hat!” Peter cried in panic. A gift from his aunt and uncle, who were already struggling with money, about to be trampled by brute centaurs mere minutes after receiving it. Neither he nor Tony could do anything about it. They could only stare at it despairingly as the racing centaurs grew closer and closer, passing each marker as they got nearer. 

That was until a four-legged body jumped over the fence from the outside, long after the racers passed by there, and joined in on the running. Tony was a little more than surprised when he recognized the body as Steve. The wild (or _feral_ , as some bigots would often call them) centaur of their town. Tony had seen him a couple of times. He knew of Steve. Knew his name. Knew the wild centaur lived in the forest but would occasionally make a trip into town for one reason or another.

Ultimately the town let him be. Steve didn’t cause trouble and the town saw no issue in his wandering, but that didn’t necessarily mean the townsfolk were welcoming either. The spiteful and angered folk of Nome would sometimes go out of their way to let wild centaurs and fauns know where they stood. Often that meant screaming and throwing items at them. 

May and Ben were not among those folk and Tony considered himself the luckiest. 

Eyebrows were raised from the gathered townsmen when they noticed the very same wild centaur now running in the race. A few cried in outrage. Tony himself was left a little speechless when Steve caught up to the predicted winner with little trouble. Even at a distance, he could see Ty, the yearly champion, glare at the wild centaur and even go so far as to swipe at Steve. 

Steve avoided the strike expertly by leaping to the side and then coming back. With help from the momentum, he jumped _ahead_ of Ty, grabbed the hat that was waiting innocently for its impending doom and moved out of Ty’s way seconds before Ty plowed him over. Steve skidded to the barriers, jumped and disappeared into the scrambling crowd, trying to move out of his way in a panic. 

Tony moved quickly to search for him. He didn’t know why Steve would grab the hat and he certainly hoped it wasn’t because the wild centaur suddenly grew a desire to wear cotton shirts and denim. Peter held on tight on his back. Tony was careful not to jostle him too much. Least he wanted to catch a falling child.

The disbanding crowd made it hard for him to move much. It was so difficult he was forced to stay put for a solid minute or two as the bodies parted way. Something that frustrated him. Peter’s hat was somewhere and Tony couldn’t do a thing to find it! 

“Mister Steve!” Peter called behind him, pointing at one direction. 

Tony turned and sure enough, there was Steve, making his way towards them. Hat in his hand. It was undamaged and even clean. Tony watched him warily as he got closer. When Steve handed the hat over to his boy with a smile did he finally relax. 

“Thank you,” Peter put the hat on, thankful to have it back. “What a crazy thing to do, Mister Steve. All to show off to a pretty boy,” he said in a plotting tone, or as plotting as a six-year-old could sound. 

Caught a little off guard, Tony looked to his boy and then back to Steve. He wasn’t prepared for that comment and he certainly wasn’t prepared when Steve didn’t deny it either. The wild centaur smiled warmly at him. As if to express it true. 

A little embarrassed and unable to keep eye contact, Tony looked down. It was certainly something to think about. Had Steve truly done all this, putting himself front and center, to impress him while also helping his boy? 

It was at that moment that Ben and May caught up to them. They gave a brief glance at Steve but showed no ill towards him. Peter eagerly told them about everything that just transpired. His boy talked their ears off as Ben carried him down and May grabbed Tony’s harness. Their cue for ‘time to go.’

Tony nodded to Steve in goodbye as he was led away. He looked back briefly at the wild centaur. Steve was about to say something when he caught his eye but was interrupted by Ty, now branding the winner garland around his neck, barging in. Ty blocked Steve from view and nearly made Tony jump at the sudden appearance. Something Tony didn’t want when May was still holding his harness. 

“Hey, Tony,” Ty said in a voice that was meant to be sultry, yet was anything but. He followed him. “Did you enjoy the race?” 

“Yeah,” Tony elongates the note. He was hoping his sarcasm was showing. “Almost as much as you did.” 

“Thanks.” Clearly, Ty didn’t catch it. “Let’s go and celebrate. My carer has a basket full of fresh blueberries. I know they’re your favorite. There’s this lovely little spot by the lake that’s perfect for privacy. What do you say?” 

Tony shivered in disgust. “I don't know, Ty. Suddenly I’ve lost my appetite.” 

Ty stopped. He clearly understood that implication. “Ooh,” he grinned, “well maybe your taste runs more toward,” Ty looked back, “ _feral_.” 

Tony tensed up. He glared at Ty and was ready to give him a piece of his mind, but Peter called out to him from Ben’s arms. “Mister Tony! Come on, we’re going back home!” 

“Sorry, Ty,” he really wasn’t, “my boy is calling me.” 

He turned and followed after his family. May was no longer holding his harness, leaving Tony to follow on his own. He kept up no problem, but the crowd did pose a challenge. Human, faun and centaur often got in his way and with a carriage still strapped on him, he couldn’t easily maneuver around them. He had no choice but to stop often. This caused him to be farther than what his boy was comfortable with. 

“Mister Tony!” 

Tony followed the voice. His family turned a corner. 

“Mister Tony?”

Tony turned to join them and stops in his tracks when Steve skidded to a halt right before him. He pulled back as their noses touched. 

“Oh,” was all Tony would say. It was certainly a heartstopping moment, and Tony didn’t mean it romantically. Steve came out of nowhere! 

Steve pulled back. His ears were low and his eyes were wide. As if he was just as surprised as Tony about their situation. 

“Tony - I - uh,” Steve stumbled. He smiled awkwardly, nervously. 

“Tony?” Ben called out. 

“Mister Tony, hurry!” Peter waved at him.

Tony looked away for just a second. That second was all it took for Steve to disappear. Tony searched, but Steve just outright vanished into thin air. With no other choice, he left when his family called for him again, but he did look back one last time in hopes of catching sight of Steve. He didn’t. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
